PhD: The Philosophical Foundations of Global Irrigation Models via FindAPhD

About the Project

Project description

This PhD project will analyze the ontology, epistemology and semantics of the mathematical models designed to calculate a key number: the volume of water globally used for irrigation agriculture. More specifically, the candidate will study the philosophical premises, scientific theories, values and ethical stances that underpin irrigation models, and critically analyze their epistemological foundations from a philosophy of science perspective. A key element will be to distinguish facts from assumptions in the chain of calculations leading to the production of the model-based number, and reflect on the treatment given to concepts such as “validation”, “calibration” or “verification”. Some other questions that could be of interest include

1. What is the relation between irrigation models and theory?
2. What perception of reality underpins the models?
3. How many different ways of modeling irrigation withdrawals exist, and does this diversity exhaust all possibilities?
4. Are there opposite ways of modelling irrigation, and if so, what does this entail?

​The precise scope of the project will be finally defined between the successful candidate and the PhD supervisor/s after the candidate has been appointed. The successful candidate will hence be able to shape the PhD project to their specific interests.

Project background

The successful candidate will join the 2M€ ERC Consolidator Grant project “DAWN: Illuminating Deep Uncertainties in the Estimation of Irrigation Water Withdrawals“, led by Dr Arnald Puy (University of Birmingham). DAWN merges philosophy, anthropology, hydrology and mathematical modeling to explore how ambiguities, vaguenesses and pluralities of perspectives affect our understanding of water use in irrigation. DAWN’s proof-of-concept is summarized in these publications [1-5].

The candidate will be based at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham. S/he will be supervised by Dr Arnald Puy, by Prof Michela Massimi (University of Edinburgh) and a third scholar from the University of Birmingham.

Project benefits

Besides an exciting and caring interdisciplinary research environment, we also offer:

1. A fully funded 3-year PhD studentship that will cover home tuition fees and provide the student with a tax-free stipend according to UKRI rates. We will also cover international fees in case we appoint an international applicant.
2. A brand new Macbook Pro for the whole duration of the project.
3. Funding available to cover attendance to congresses, workshops or training courses.
4. Integration into an interdisciplinary team with a wide international network, with extraordinary opportunities for career development.
5. The opportunity to apply philosophy of science to have an impact in the management of one of the most pressing societal challenges ahead: ensuring a sustainable use of freshwater resources in our current context of climate change and water scarcity.
6. An impressive range of benefits to help the student settle and stay at the University, and deal with problems that may affect their learning through professional advice and help. Click here for more details.

Student profile

We are looking for candidates with a skeptical mind, used to think out-of-the-box and willing to go out of their comfort zones as the PhD project will be interdisciplinary by design. Other features include:

1. Applicants should have a good first degree (at least a 2:1 Honours Degree) in a relevant subject. Candidates with Masters in Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Environmental Humanities, Hydrology, Environmental Modelling or cognate disciplines are especially encouraged to apply.
2. Both UK-based and international students are encouraged to apply.
3. Programming skills (in R) will also be valued, although training will be provided within the context of the PhD as needed.

How to apply?

Please send the following documents via e-mail to Dr Arnald Puy (a.puy@bham.ac.uk), with “DAWN: PhD studentship application (philosophical foundations of global irrigation models)” in the e-mail subject line:

1. Application form filled out with the required information. You can download the application form here.
2. CV (2 page max) with details on your grades and studies.
3. Details of two academic referees. Please not that we will not contact your referees for references. You must arrange for references to be submitted by your referees.

Please apply as soon as possible as we will evaluate applications as they come through. We reserve the right to remove the advert if suitable candidate/s are found before the closing date (31 May 2023). Interviews with shortlisted applicants will take place between the third and fourth week of June. The successful candidate is expected to take up the post in October 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Any questions?

For potential applicants willing to know more about the project or the conditions offered, please contact Arnald Puy (a.puy@bham.ac.uk).

References

[1] A. Puy, R. Sheikholeslami, H. V. Gupta, J. W. Hall, B. Lankford, S. Lo Piano, J. Meier, F. Pappenberger, A. Porporato, G. Vico, and A. Saltelli. “The delusive accuracy of global irrigation water withdrawal estimates”. Nature Communications 13 (2022), p. 3183. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30731-8.
[2] A. Puy and A. Saltelli. “Mind the Hubris: Complexity Can Misfire”. The Politics of Modelling. Numbers Between Science and Policy. Ed. by A. Saltelli and M. D. Fiore. Oxford University Press, 2023. arXiv: 2207.12230.
[3] A. Puy, P. Beneventano, S. A. Levin, S. Lo Piano, T. Portaluri, and A. Saltelli. “Models with higher effective dimensions tend to produce more uncertain estimates”. Science Advances 8.42 (2022), eabn9450. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn9450.
[4] A. Saltelli, G. Bammer, I. Bruno, E. Charters, M. Di Fiore, E. Didier, W. Nelson Espeland, J. Kay, S. Lo Piano, D. Mayo, R. Pielke Jr, T. Portaluri, T. M. Porter, A. Puy, I. Rafols, J. R. Ravetz, E. Reinert, D. Sarewitz, P. B. Stark, A. Stirling, J. van der Sluijs, and P. Vineis. “Five ways to ensure that models serve society: a manifesto”. Nature 582.7813 (2020), pp. 482-484. doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-01812-9.
[5] A. Puy, E. Borgonovo, S. Lo Piano, S. A. Levin, and A. Saltelli. “Irrigated areas drive irrigation water withdrawals”. Nature Communications 12.1 (2021), p. 4525. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24508-8.